Articulated train



April 25, 1939, c. DE L. RICE ARTICULATED TRAIN Filed NOV. 7, 1936 3 Sheets-'Sheet l Gum/wally April 25, 1939.

C. DE L. RICE ARTICULATED TRAIN Filed Nov. '7, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Apfil 25, 1939.

c. DE l.. RICE ARTIGULATED TRAIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 rwc/wbw CHA EL EJ EL 0S RICE Filed Nov. 7, 1956 Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles De Los Rice, West Hartford, Conn.

Application November 7, 1936, Serial No. 109,741

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in railway trains and, more particularly, to a train of the articulated type having two or more coaches vor car bodies permanently pivoted together at ,5 their adjacent ends and individually supported .'15 to provide a pivotal interconnection between a coach body and a truck which will permit such movement of the truck relative to the coach that the truck may easily follow any part of the track therefor.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of my invention showing a carvtruck arranged to simultaneously support and pivotally interconnect the adjacent ends of two coaches;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of my invention taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the upper support for the pivot pin between adjacent coaches; and

Fig. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic detailed view showing one of the cushioned side bearings for the coach bodies.

In accordance with my invention, I have provided an articulated train, and, more particularly, a truck therefor which is arranged to pivotally connect the adjacent ends of two abutting coaches A and B in such manner that the coaches are individually supported on the truck for free pivotal movement, and side thrusts occasioned by uneven track portions and curves in the track will be resiliently resisted and absorbed between the pivotal truck connection and 55- the truck frame C.

` Referring to the illustrated showing of the present invention, I have provided a car truck for an articulated train having a frame C preferably comprising an integral cast steel mem- @g ber including' two longitudinally extending side frame members I0 interconnected by rigid cross frame members II and I2 substantially H-shaped in cross section. The cross frame members are interconnected and reinforced by webs I3 and I4 disposed longitudinally of the frame and to .95. either side of its axis toaid in supporting a pivot pin connection P, as will be later described. The truck frame C is supported upon rail wheels, one of which is shown at I5, and the wheels are securedA upon axles, one of which is designated at I6. Bearings on the axles are suitably connected to the side frame members Illin any convenient manner, such, for example, as illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,987,365, issued January 8, 1935. f This truck suspensionis not herein illustrated sinceA it does not comprise a part of the presentinvention. Each axlemay be surrounded by a quill I8 suitably connected to the drive wheels and supporting a. motor M having an outer casing M which is restrained from rotation by a laterally extending torque arm I9 substantially radial thereof and mounted at one end within a reinforced protruding portion M" of the casing, as by a bolt 20. The otherend of each arm which projects longitudinally ofthe truck and towards its mid portion terminates in a iiattened end I9 seated within a cushioning member such as. a soft rubber block V23 encased within the upper and lower halves of a metal box 24 fastened to the frame. Y

Each of the car or coach bodies A and B isindividually supported for freely cushioned movement upon the truck in such manner that any rocking or twisting movement of one coach will not be transmitted to the other but willbe automatically absorbed by al plurality of resilient supports. This arrangement also permits of a limited transverse slidingmovement of the car bodies with respect toithe truck. Any suitable arrangement may be provided for these purposes, but by way of illustration, I have shown. in Fig. 5, in a more or less diagrammatical manner, a supporting structure which may be employed; It is understood that each corner of the pivotally interconnected coaches will be provided with a side bearing including a block 21 riveted to the bottom vflanges of I-beams 30 secured by a clamping plate 3| to frame members 32 which are, in turn, riveted to the under side of longitudinally extending chassis members 34. These chassis members may be in the form of I-beams. Each block 21 slidably rests upon a bearing block 28 which is carried by a rocker arm 29 pivoted to the truck frame, as at 4. The bearing block is mounted in the arm 29 for universal movement and, to this end, the arm has a parti-spherical seat 5, and the under side of the block is mating-1 ly curved to lit the seat. This, in effect. gives 'a ball and socket arrangement. Each of the rocker are 1S Seemed near its .Orte-r #ed www n y morecoiledv springs 6 located in a well 1 procoach ends and cushioning the sidesway vmove- L'- ment vof the coaches Without restrictingindividual rocking movement of thecoaches and' car truck. Consequently, theftruck is yfree to rock and twist in its following of the track Without normally transmitting such movements to the coaches so `that the coaches will ride smoothly and be vfree `of jerky sidewise movement. Coach B has a coupling 38 secured therebeneath as by -rlvets passing through a anged porti-on 38 and a bottom iiange of I-beams34. This coupling hasan outwardly projecting portion in the generalfform oi a. sleeve 33 tightly receiving pin P which forms a substantially integral part therewith.

Coach A has'a coupling 40 provided. with a horizontal flanged portion 4I secured to the bottom of I -beams 34 as by rivets. Coupling 40 extendsoutwardly from the ends of I-beams 34 and is provided with a vwertical bore 42 extending therethrough .and adapted to slidably receive a Ilanged .bearing sleeve 44 rigidly secured thereto as .by screws 45. As illustrated in Fig. 4, bearing sleeve has .avertically extending axially convexed hole 4.6 receiving pin P for free rotational and axially slidable movement therein. The smallest diameter V'of this convexed hole lies intermediate vof its ends* so that the bearing and pin may rock and axially slide relative to each other `to compensate for the relatively vertical and pivotal .movements of coaches A and B'.

, Pivot pin P is further arranged for a vertical sliding Ymovement and '.a slight rocking movement within lits truck support. To accomplish this, .the pin is slidably and axially .received ntermediate of its ends within the hole 48 of a bearing block 49. Between theends of this hole isa convexed annular reduced portion 50 of varying-diameterand having itssmallest diameter intermediate of .its .ends and slidably receiving pin P fas .best illustrated in Fig. 3. The pivot is free to .slide-and rock within this bearing portion 5D in the same manner as the interrelation between` the .pin P and bearing sleeve 44. Pin Pis also supported for a resiliently cushioned vertical movement, las will be later described.

:As .shown in Fig. 2, bearing block 49 is substantiallvHeshaped in plan view and provided withspaced laterally extending vvarms 52 and 53 slidablymountedinspaced parallel ways 54 and 5,5 .extending transversely of the truck frame and formed within a vsupport 56. Support 56, in the present'instance, .comprises a casting rigidly secured'to `a .saddle .portion of the truck frame formed 'by frame members Il, I2, I3, and |4, byfbolts '.58 which pass through'bosses 59'on the ...support and bosses Gil extending upwardly iromirame C. Cap plates 6| aresecured to the top of blockllb'yscrewsl? and'in overlying relation with the respective arms 52 and 53 to form the .tops of {the Ways V54 and 55 and aid in guidingblock l49 during'its lateral sliding movement. '.End plates '64 are respectively secured to the .en dfaces of. thesupport at the'ends of the ways by screws 6.5 and serve tojlimit the extent of lateral -slidingmovement of blocky 49.

" ""Blo'ck isnormallycentrally secured on'the' truck and resiliently cushioned in this position so that lt may slidably move in its Ways, but will normally return to its central position. To accomplish this, opposed coiled springs are compressive- `ly mounted in balanced relation respectively between plates 64an'd the body portion of the block between arms 52 and 53 as shown in Fig. 2. These .springs cooperate to locate pivot pin P so that,

as a train passes around a curve at a high rate ofl speed,v the side thrusts will be yieldably absorbed Without transmitting shocks or jars tothe coaches and the'wheel anges Will not be violentlyy thrust against the sides of the rails with the usual tendency of shearing the rail spikes. In the present instance, a pair of coaxially mounted coiled springs S and S are located on each side of bearing block 49. Each spring -S is located at its outer end within an annular cavity 66 1n the respective en d plates 64 and at its inner end it is engaged againsta substantially ilat wall 49 respectively formed on block 43between reinforcing flanges 49?. The smaller coiled springs S which are coaxially mounted Within springsk S are respectively engaged attheir outer ends over atapering hub 61 located centrally'of recesses 66, and at their inner ends over hub members Gilcoaxialv with members 61 and secured tothe opposed sides of block 4 9 as byv screws '16.

Cup-shapedguards H are preferably secured to bearing block 49 With the bottom portion of each guard located beneath a hub 68 by means of screws 10 so that springs S are respectively separated through the major portions of ltheir lengths by these cup members, thus preventing any danger of engagement and snarling oi' Vthe springs inthe event that one should become broken. These springs are normally under opposed compressive balanced relation, and it will be .evident that .bythe simple expedient of removingy cap plates l64,'a single spring or any combination of ycoiled springs may vloe inserted to compensate for various difl'erences of lweight ofcoaches and to provide the desired resilient resistance and yieldability to side thrusts. Screws A65 are preferably of suiiicient length to pass through plates 64 and threadably engage within support 56 when springs S and S are extended to their full lengths. If desired, screws 65 may be further provided with conical seating portions 6 5 engageable with respective seats 65" in plates 64 to aid in locating the plates in secured position.

Pivot pin P axially slides through bearings 50 and .44 with a resiliently restrained substantially vertical iioating movement to aid in preventing shocks and jars from being transmitted between interconnectedcoaches secured thereto. To accomplish this, theupper end of the pivot pin has a shoulder 'l2 and terminates thereaboveln a reduced portion .13 ending in a ,screw thread upon -Which is mounted an adjustable clamping nut '14 locked in position as Vby a ibolt .1.5 :transversely-extending therethrough. A coiledspring 16 is .mounted over the reduced portion r1.3 and supported at its lower yend bya collar 'l1 engaging shoulder 12 and having an upwardly projecting spring centering cone. he upper end of the-spring resilientlyfbears against a similar co1'-v la-r l8lenga`ging nut '14. Under normal-conditions, pin P is vertically positioned soy thatshoulder l-112 lies slightly -above the top of Abearing 44 andcollar -11 overhangsthe top of this bearing, as

shown'in 4. Hence, when the adjacent ends ci coaches A and B movein-verticalrelation to' each other, y'the 4relative"vertical sliding move-y ment of bearing sleeve 44 and spindle P results in abutting engagement of the top of bearing 44 with collar 11 and a consequent compression of spring 16, thereby absorbing any shocks and jars which would normally be transmitted between the interconnected coaches. This vertical cushioning movement may be easily adjusted by means of nut 1.4.

Spring 16 and collars 11 and 18 are protected from dust and dirt and are lubricated by a exible sleeve member 19 composed of felt, leather, or other suitable pervious material peripherally engaging collars 11 and 18. A vertically mounted tube 80 of greater diameter than, and surrounding flexible sleeve 19 is provided with a flange at its bottom rigidly secured as by screws to the coupling 40, thus providing an annular well 8l which is lled with a suitable absorbent material such as an oil soaked wicking. The oil within the wicking penetrates through sleeve 19 and provides lubrication for the spring and its associated parts. A packing is preferably provided between the bottom flange of tube 8l] and coupling d!! so that the oil within the well will not leak therebetween. The top of spindle P is further provided with a dust cap 82 shaped in the general form of an inverted cup spaced from and surrounding tube 80. This cup is centrally secured to the pin as by a screw 83, and the bottom of the cup is spaced sufliciently above the securing means associated with tube 80 so that the cup does not interfere with the normal vertical movement of pin P.

The lower end of pin P beneath bearing 58 is provided with a reduced portion 84 which slidably receives a dat faced washer 85 spring pressed by means of a coiled spring 86 into slidable frictional engagement with the bottom flat annular face of bearing block 49. The lower end of spring 85 is supported by a similar collar 81 journalled on reduced portion 84 and adjustably secured in position by means of a nut 38 similar to nut 14 and threadably mounted on the lower end of portion 84. Nut 88 is securely clamped in its pre-adjusted position by a clamping bolt 89. Washers 85 and 81 are preferably provided with annular centering cones received within the opposite ends of spring 86 to maintain the spring coaxial with pin P. It will thus be noted that spindle P which is rigidly secured within coupling 3S is freely movable therewith and within the bearings 84 and 50, and the opposed springs 15 and 86 which are initially under compression, serve to cushion the vertical movement of the pin and normally maintain it in a substantially upright position, as illustrated in Figs. l, 3, and 4. However, these springs will permit the spindle P to angularly rock and vertically move to compensate for irregular truck movements occasioned by rough and uneven portions of track without transmitting said irregular movements to the spindle and interconnected coaches.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above descrip-tion or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specic features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an articulated train comprising a plurality of coaches in tandem relation, a single car truck beneath and individually supporting the abutting ends of a pair of adjacent coaches, a member mounted on the truck, a substantially vertical pin pivotally secured to said member, a pivotal connection between one of the coaches and said pin, a close-tting connection between the other of said coaches and said pin and means at each end of said pin resilently supporting it for free floating axial movement relative to the truck and one of the coaches to compensate for vertical movements of one coach relative to the other.

2. In an articulated train comprising a plurality of coaches in tandem relation, a single car ruck beneath and individually supporting the abutting ends of a pair of adjacent coaches, a member mounted on the truck, a substantially vertical pivot pin pivotally connected to said member and axially slidable relative thereto, means resiliently supporting said pin for free floating axial movement relative to the member and truck, and means associated with the connection between the pin, member, and truck whereby said truckis movable transversely of the Din axis.

3. An articulated train comprising a plurality of coaches in tandem relation, a car truck beneath the adjacent ends of a pair of said coaches, a member arranged for slidable movement on the truck, said member having a vertical opening therethrough having a reduced portion of varying diameter, a pivot pin receivable in said opening and adapted to rock on said reduced portion, and resilient means engaging each side of said member in opposed relation and tending to slidably locate said member and position the pin centrally of the truck whereby the relative sidewise movements of the coaches and truck will be cushioned.

4. In an articulated train comprising a plurality of coaches in tandem relation, a single car truck beneath the adjacent ends o a pair of coaches, a member supported by said truck, said member having a vertical opening therethrough having a reduced portion of varying diameter, a pivot pin receivable in said member and adapted to rock about said reduced portion, a connecting arm from one of said coaches, said arm having an opening therethrough in which said pin is adapted to tightly nt, a connecting armv from the other of said coaches, said second-mentioned arm having an opening therethrough, said opening having a reduced portion of varying diameter, said pin being receivable in said opening and adapted to rock about said reduced portion.

5. In an articulated train having a plurality of coaches in tandem relation, a car truck, a member laterally movable on the truck, arms laterally extending from said member, means supporting said arms on said truck, pivoted means supported by said member and pivotally interconnecting abutting coach ends, a plurality of coilable springs engageable with the opposite sides of said member and yieldably locating the pivotal means relative to the truck, and removable means xed with respect to the truck and maintaining said springs positioned against said member.

CHARLES DE LOS RICE. 

